Welcome to Living in a Bookworld, which basically is a blog full of what else but books. Here, you can find and read reviews about books from the young adult, fiction and not, and sometimes the adult section. Also, every month is going to be dedicated to an author or two. You will be able to see the new books that come out every week as well. Let the book journey begin!

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Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Author: Veronica BartlesTitle: Twelve StepsPublication Date: March 25th 2014Publisher: Swoon RomanceGenre: Young Adult Contemporary RomanceBook SummarySixteen-year-old Andi is tired of being a second-class sibling to perfect sister Laina. The only thing Andi’s sure she has going for her is her awesome hair. And even that is eclipsed by Laina's perfect everything else.When Andi’s crush asks her to fix him up with Laina, Andi decides enough is enough, and devises a twelve-step program to wrangle the spotlight away from Laina and get the guy. Step 1: Admit she’s powerless to change her perfect sister, and accept that her life really, really sucks. Step 4: Make a list of her good qualities. She MUST have more than just great hair, right?Step 7: Demand attention for more than just the way she screws things up. When a stolen kiss from her crush ends in disaster, Andi realizes that her twelve-step program isn’t working. Her prince isn’t as charming as she'd hoped, and the spotlight she’s been trying to steal isn’t the one she wants.As Laina’s flawless façade begins to crumble, the sisters work together to find a spotlight big enough for both to shine.

ExcerptThe scent of buttered popcorn
fills the air, and my mouth waters as I step into line with Summer and Emily to
buy our tickets for Fiero Furious. I
don’t see Jarod or his friends, but the movie starts in ten minutes. They’re
probably already inside.“Hey, Andi. What’s up?” Dave
appears in line behind me.“Are you following me now?” I take
a half-step away from him, carefully maneuvering so that Emily stands as a
buffer between us. He laughs and points to the long
line forming behind him. “I guess, if getting in line behind you means I’m
following you, then I’m guilty as charged. But so are about thirty other
people.”I cross my arms and turn my back
on him. “Whatever. I just think it’s awfully coincidental that you happen to
show up right after we get in line.”“You’re right. I planned it.
Because it’s completely unbelievable that two random people could both want to
go to the movies. On a Friday night. At the only good theater in town.”“Hey, Dave, what’s up?” Summer
asks, giving me her patented, exaggerated eye roll. I can practically hear her
thoughts screaming at me. What are you so
afraid of? Dave’s harmless. It’s not like he’s going to attack you right here
in the middle of the mall. But she wasn’t there when Dave tried to kiss me
in the coat closet after recess in fourth grade. She’d be freaked out too if
some guy had been flirting with her nonstop since they were nine years old,
even though she kept telling him she wasn’t interested.Dave is totally following me. I’d
bet anything that he was listening to our conversation in the cafeteria. I bet
he doesn’t even like race car movies, and he’s only here because he wanted a
chance to “accidentally” run into me. And if Summer can’t see what a creepy
stalker he is, I’ll just have to prove it. I give Dave a million-megawatt
smile. “What movie are you going to see?” He blushes and points to a little
boy who’s probably about four years old hiding behind his leg. “My aunt and
uncle are visiting, and I promised my cousin I’d take him to see Ninja Unicorn Strikes Back. He’s a
little shy, so my aunt always worries that he isn’t socialized enough. Not sure
that hanging out with his old cousin counts, but he’s a cool kid, so it’s all
good. What are you here for?”Very clever. Of course he’d choose
a different movie, so he could pretend to be all innocent. And I have to give
him bonus points for bringing along a decoy kid. I bend down and wave at the
cute, little mini-Dave. “You like ninja unicorns?”The little boy nods solemnly and
releases his death grip on Dave’s pant leg. I glance at Dave and then smile at
the kid. “How long did Dave make you wait around for us to show up before you
got into line?” That’s one thing Dave didn’t count on. Kids always tell the
truth. He is so busted.The little boy smiles and pats my
cheek. “You have lots and lots of freckles,” he says.I stand up quickly and cover my
face with my hands. Summer and Emily are laughing so hard they’re practically
rolling on the floor. “Well, it was nice meeting you,” I say and shuffle
forward as the line slowly advances, leaving my friends to fend for themselves. Dave scoops the demon kid up and
closes the gap between us. “We think your freckles are adorable.” He hugs the
kid. “Don’t we?”The little boy nods. “I like
freckles.”

About the Author

As the second of eight children
and the mother of four, Veronica Bartles is no stranger to the ups and downs of
sibling relationships. (She was sandwiched between the
gorgeous-and-insanely-popular older sister and the too-adorable-for-words
younger sister.) She uses this insight to write stories about siblings who
mostly love each other, even while they’re driving one another
crazy. When she isn’t writing or getting lost in the pages of her
newest favorite book, Veronica enjoys knitting fabulous bags and jewelry out of
recycled plastic bags and old VHS tapes, sky diving (though she hasn’t actually
tried that yet), and inventing the world’s most delectable cookie recipes.
TWELVE STEPS is Veronica Bartles's first novel.